How Working from Home Could Be Causing Your Bad Skin & Eczema
When it comes to working from home there may be some convenient pros, for example, being able to get out of bed at 8:55am, enjoying breakfast & lunch from the comfort of your sofa or making everyday a ‘bring your dog to work day’. But there are also some cons – including missing out on quality social time and rising electricity, heating & water bills. But have you also noticed a change in your skin & hair?
When it comes to spending more time at home, some people are noticing changes in their skin – including dry skin and eczema. If you live in a hard water area and are spending more time at home due to corona virus, using more hard water could be damaging your skin and increasing its sensitivity to washing powders, soaps, beauty products and even the weather. In addition to dry skin and eczema, hard water could also be causing you or members of your family to experience:
- Dry, frizzy & damaged hair.
- Dandruff and a dry & itchy scalp.
- Acne & blocked pores.
So, What Is Hard Water?
Hard water is water that passes through rocks and limestone, causing it to contain excess minerals of calcium and magnesium. We can’t control where our water comes from or who provides our water and the hardness of water can really vary from postcode to postcode. If you have hard water, you may also notice other hard water problems such as limescale on your taps and in your bathroom and white scale deposits on your shower screen & glassware.
Why Does Hard Water Affect My Skin?
When the skin is exposed to hard water minerals for long periods of time it may actually damage the protective outer skin barrier, according to a scientific study researchers from the University of Sheffield and London. This damage makes the skin more sensitive to common irritants found in everyday products such as soaps, detergents and washing powders.
In addition to making your skin more sensitive, hard minerals also react negatively with chemicals and surfactants that are found in common soaps and washing products. This usually result in a lack of lather and the production of soap deposits, which are left like a film on the skin after washing. This can cause our pores to become blocked and can provoke the development of acne and bad skin. Hard water can cause people with normal skin types to develop dry skin, and worsen pre-existing eczema conditions.
What Can You Do?
There are tons of creams that are marketed for these types of skin conditions – but these over the counter products are only a temporary solution to mask the main problem. The only permanent solution to remove hard water is a water softener system. A water softener is a home product that is attached to your main water supply. As hard water comes into your home, it filters hard magnesium and calcium minerals out – allowing soft water to flow into your home.
There are a number of different types of water softener available and the best brands and quality models are hard to find online. Usually a google search can reveal outdated and low-quality models including the Crown and electric water softeners like Monarch. The best water softeners are sold through an exclusive dealership in the UK. In terms of selecting the best system for your home, it is important to do your research and ask questions. If you are interested in finding out more, feel free to contact a member of our team for everything you need to know. You can call us on 01429 872 522 or click here to enquire online.